Yes, a Leonard Cohen thread on the org. It can only go one way. Nonetheless, I thought I'd tip my hat to the man's recent comeback tour. Like MJ, Leonard was forced back to the stage by financial pressures, though his were not self inflicted (he got robbed by his manager).

Given the circumstances and the fact that he hadn't performed in 15 years people could have been forgiven for having low expectations, but at 75 years old it's clear Leonard has still got it. I'd heard his shows were the best of 2008, and having recently seen the BBC concert I can say the rave reviews were very much merited. His band sound great and his back catalogue is one of the best there is.

His work is so cerebral that it's a nice surprise to see just how much of a showman he is. Maybe it shouldn't be a surprise. His lyrics are clearly the work of an entertainer. A man who likes to make people smile, even when he's telling them how brutal life is. As usual with any artist of quality he's underrepresented on Youtube so none of my favourite moments from the show are up there. Nonetheless, here's two professionally filmed clips I could find from his London gigs.

Democracy


Everybody Knows

incredible songwriter.


terrible singer.


sorry. every song i've ever heard by him has been done better by someone else.

He's actually become a much better singer with age. All the cigarettes have given his voice this creepy old man quality that's rich in character.

that's true, and like Joni Mitchell, i prefer his haggared old-age voice. but still, sometimes i hear his delivery on certain songs, like "Hallelujah" for instance, and i wonder if he even GETS his own music? i mean, yeah, of course he does, but maybe i don't really care for the sardonic or ironic detachment he sometimes gives his own songs.

i dunno. maybe that's not even it, but there isn't really any song of his that i haven't heard done better by someone else, including the ones that i heard his version first.
[Edited 8/30/09 3:41am]

He can sound quite sinister nowadays, which makes his own interpretations the definitive ones for me. If we were just talking about his younger self then I'd agree with you, but from the 80s till now his voice is just so brimming with character. Some of his 90s songs were featured in the film Natural Born Killersfor instance and their presence worked partly because his voice sounded like the voice of a murderer. It's nice to see him smile on stage just to reassure you he's not.

I dig Leonard Cohen a great deal. I'm currently going through more of his work.

He seems to be a thinker in a tank that could greatly use the balance.